MARQUETTE, Mich. – Davenport embarked on a trip up north to take on the Wildcats of Northern Michigan for their first GLIAC contest of the 2019 season. The Panthers are hitting their stride as a team at the right moment. With the 20-10 win over the Wildcats, Davenport improves to 4-2 on the season and have won three straight games. The Panthers had multiple weapons on the offensive side of the field, as Aaliyah Miller, Taylor Ries, Ryann Deuel, and Reilly Noble all had six or more points.
 
The Basics
Final Score: Davenport University-20 | Northern Michigan-10
Location: Marquette, Mich.
Record: DU (4-2, 1-0) | NMU (1-4, 0-1)


 
Goals Per Period
First period: DU-9 | NMU-6
Second period: DU-11 | NMU-4

How It Happened
Davenport got on the board first, with a goal by Miller, assisted by Noble. The Wildcats responded with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead. Shortly after, Davenport scored two of their own, one by Miller and another by Ries, to take a 3-2 lead. Northern Michigan stopped the run with a goal to tie the game 3-3 with 17:50 to go in the half. Davenport proceeded to go on a 6-3 run to finish the half and took a 9-6 lead at halftime.
 
The opening 14 minutes of the second half was evenly played between the two teams. Davenport and Northern each scored two goals, leaving DU with a three goal advantage. With the score sitting at 11-8, in favor of DU, the Panthers rattled off five unanswered goals to put this game away. Four different players scored for DU in the five-goal run, including a pair from Kaili Gozalka. Northern Michigan scored a couple more goals, but Davenport finished the game scoring three straight and were in control for most of the second half.
 
Inside The Box
Noble (2 G, 7 A)
Deuel (5 G, 3 A, GB, 8 DC, 0-2 FPS)
Ries (3 G, 5 A, 2 CT, 0-1 FPS)
Miller (6 G, 3 GB, 2 CT, 0-1 FPS)
Brenna Knoll (G, A, GB, 8 DC, 0-1 FPS)
Gozalka (2 G)
Christine Steffes (G, 2 GB, 2 DC, 1-1 FPS)
Amber Park (GB, 5 DC)
Makenna Pitchford (60:00 minutes, 10 GA, 7 saves)
 
Coaches Corner
"Always hard to get a win on the road in conference play, but the girls pushed through. I was happy to see how the responded to NMU's game plan. Defense played tough and gave our offense opportunities to do what they do. Couldn't be happier with this win." – Head Coach Rob Harris.
 
Up Next
Davenport doesn't have time to celebrate this victory for long as they take on Concordia University St. Paul on Sunday. This will be the second GLIAC game for DU this season.

Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Tyler Triemstra